Great Things Going On
This past week we were all given pause to be thankful for the great work our In School Suspension program coordinator Cruzita DeHerrera does supervising our Zeroes Aren’t Permitted (ZAP) program at the middle and high school. Our ZAP program requires students who, for one reason or another, have not completed and turned in required class work to do so on their own time during lunch or after school. Cruzita was out for a few days last week and other staff members who were put in charge of her duties expressed their extreme appreciation for all the work she does to keep track of this student responsibility.
I want to thank a handful of our Haskin Elementary School staff members, including Agnes Salazar, Lupita Ortega, John Noriega, LJ Garcia, and Melissa Garcia for working so hard this past week to complete all required mid-year Lindamood-Bell testing before the winter break. Doing so will allow us to regroup intervention students to better meet their individual academic needs when we come back to start the second semester.
I want to thank a handful of our Haskin Elementary School staff members, including Agnes Salazar, Lupita Ortega, John Noriega, LJ Garcia, and Melissa Garcia for working so hard this past week to complete all required mid-year Lindamood-Bell testing before the winter break. Doing so will allow us to regroup intervention students to better meet their individual academic needs when we come back to start the second semester.
Special thanks also go out to Nate Koerber, Brandon Selby, and Annie Rice for taking the Center Schools Ski Club on a trip to Wolf Creek on Friday. Each lost their end of semester work-day and also had to miss out on a large portion of our annual staff holiday party by doing so. Additionally, Americorps workers Martin Ramos, Jess Mortensen, and Paul Romero should be thanked for doing a great job helping our middle-high building principals reward students who showed exceptional growth on their mid-year NWEA tests by organizing a fun electronic game night that took place Wednesday evening in the middle school wing.
Also on Wednesday evening Center High School hosted a FAFSA form completion night for parents and seniors. This Federal Application For Student Aide process helps to determine what grants, scholarships, and loans each of our students might be eligible for, is quite a complicated process to complete, and many studies have shown that simply getting a family to complete the application significantly increases the chance their child will actually attend college.
Also on Wednesday evening Center High School hosted a FAFSA form completion night for parents and seniors. This Federal Application For Student Aide process helps to determine what grants, scholarships, and loans each of our students might be eligible for, is quite a complicated process to complete, and many studies have shown that simply getting a family to complete the application significantly increases the chance their child will actually attend college.
On a final note, this week I wandered in on some presentations our Skoglund Middle School students were making in Mr. Kevin Hagan’s language arts classroom related to places they might choose to travel if they could. In the process of preparing these offerings students had to choose a country, identify governmental, currency, and cultural types, and report on what it might cost to actually visit it. I was very impressed by the seriousness with which our students took this assignment, the expert way they shared their presentations, and the work they did to individually rate the presentations of each of their classmates. Thanks Mr. Hagan, for planning such a useful and motivating assignment for our children!
Big Things We Are Working On
During the past week director of instruction Lori Cooper, and vocational technology teachers Dennis Schoenfelder and Stefan Welsh guided a Vocational Multi-Media Advisory Council meeting. At the gathering they gathered students and local exerts and discussed ways in which our video productions and graphic arts design participants might receive more authentic career experiences through these high school programs.
Late last week it appears an agreement was reached in Congress to finally move forward on a one-year Secure Rural Schools funding extension in January 2015. This is tremendously good news for Saguache County and its school districts as it could mean as much as a $300,000 increase in revenues beyond what we budgeted for the fiscal year in Center Schools alone. Unfortunately SRS was not included in the recent congressional omnibus bill, so getting house and senate leadership commitments to move forward on a one-year extension is very exciting!
Last week Center Schools received news that petitions gathered to place James Sanchez and Phil Varoz up for recall had a sufficient number of signatures to force an election. At this time it appears that nearly 2.5 times the number of signatures required were collected. We also received news that the attempt to gather enough signatures to recall Richie Barela fell short of the requirement. However, whether or not there are enough signatures to force a recall on Yuridia Cendejas is still in question, There is a 15 day period during which her petitions and signatures calling for her recall can still be challenged or removed. Either way it looks like the district will now be engaged in the work of preparing to conduct a recall election sometime in late January or early February 2015.
Late last week it appears an agreement was reached in Congress to finally move forward on a one-year Secure Rural Schools funding extension in January 2015. This is tremendously good news for Saguache County and its school districts as it could mean as much as a $300,000 increase in revenues beyond what we budgeted for the fiscal year in Center Schools alone. Unfortunately SRS was not included in the recent congressional omnibus bill, so getting house and senate leadership commitments to move forward on a one-year extension is very exciting!
Last week Center Schools received news that petitions gathered to place James Sanchez and Phil Varoz up for recall had a sufficient number of signatures to force an election. At this time it appears that nearly 2.5 times the number of signatures required were collected. We also received news that the attempt to gather enough signatures to recall Richie Barela fell short of the requirement. However, whether or not there are enough signatures to force a recall on Yuridia Cendejas is still in question, There is a 15 day period during which her petitions and signatures calling for her recall can still be challenged or removed. Either way it looks like the district will now be engaged in the work of preparing to conduct a recall election sometime in late January or early February 2015.
The Past Week
On Monday I attended an early morning bullying prevention workshop with most of our middle and high school staff members. On Monday afternoon our Sunshine Club hosted a holiday treat tasting event for all staff members. On Tuesday I had a lot of time to catch up on paperwork while also attending a meeting about improving English Language Learner instruction in regular classrooms. On Wednesday I met with our building principals, some teacher leaders, and CDE personnel to offer feedback about the SB 191 administrator and teacher evaluation pilot we have been participating in for the past three years. On Wednesday evening I attended an Early Steps to School Success parent engagement session at which Santa Claus made a special appearance and kids and parents were treated to many fun games. Thursday was the last day of the first semester for all students and I stayed up late that night getting payroll bundled for director of finance Betty Casanova. On Friday teachers had a work-day, and we ended the week by holding our annual staff holiday party at Calvillos Restaurant in Alamosa.
The Week Ahead
In the coming week I will meet with our furniture provider representative about some warranty issues on, I’ll work on finalizing payroll with director of finance Betty Casanova, and I’ll check in on the custodial staff who will be tackling some major mid-year maintenance projects including refinishing the varsity gymnasium floor.
Extra Points
On Friday December 19th most of the employees of the Center School District gathered at Calvillos Restaurant in Alamosa for our annual winter holiday celebration. As always, I want to thank Center Schools director of instruction Lori Cooper for organizing the whole affair, purchasing and wrapping door prizes for the staff members, spending her own money to provide some extra door prizes more suitable for adults, and for researching and encouraging us to participate in a bunch of silly party games.
It was truly wonderful to see so many of our folks assembled, spending time just enjoying each other’s company while getting the chance to set work issues aside.
Thanks for listening once again. I wish you and your family a peaceful, restful, and Merry Christmas!
George
It was truly wonderful to see so many of our folks assembled, spending time just enjoying each other’s company while getting the chance to set work issues aside.
Thanks for listening once again. I wish you and your family a peaceful, restful, and Merry Christmas!
George